Protecting our future environment

THIS week will see the long-awaited debate in the States of Deliberation of the future Electricity Strategy for our island.

This much-delayed debate will culminate with the strategic direction needed to protect our island’s vital electricity supply for decades to come, in a way that delivers security of supply and effectively decarbonises our island’s electricity supply as far as is practicable.

The reason I say practicable is that maintaining a constant reliable supply of electricity is not straightforward. Indeed, the security of supply element is perhaps the most challenging of all the key factors that needs to be considered when assessing an appropriate long-term strategy for the island. It must also be affordable as well in the long term, while at the same time providing the end goal of net zero by 2050. The policy letter from the Environment & Infrastructure Committee recommends pathway D from all the scenarios portrayed and examined by world-leading energy specialists Siemens.

For those who have read in detail the hundreds of pages of technical and supporting data behind this policy letter, this should also be the conclusion reached and the pathway with the most practical and deliverable outcome. Pathway D delivers a blend of energy sources that provides security of supply and effectively decarbonises our energy supply as the decades pass, where a combination of on-island solar PV, offshore wind, and a second European cable interconnector is proposed, to take us safely and securely to net zero by 2050. Any electricity grid system requires generation to match consumption on a second-by-second basis, and ours is no different. The future electricity system and its components of generation and supply must meet this fundamental stability requirement as all of us are connected to it both at home and at our businesses, hospital and the airport.

As part of the electricity strategy is the preparedness that is needed to address the changing transportation options that islanders are now choosing.

In the not-too-distant future, cars with internal combustion engines will no longer be manufactured and electric vehicles will be the norm. Last year saw over 22% of new vehicle registrations in Guernsey powered by electricity. I am sure readers will have also noticed the abundance of the electric bicycles now on the road as well – there are literally thousands out there. Our island is perfect for electric transportation, with only a battery charge needed every one to two weeks for the majority of users and many new choices available now and on the second-user market as well.

The electrification renaissance is already upon us. In essence, the island is already voting with its feet in adopting renewable energy generation systems at home (solar PV and solar thermal), moving to electric heating and electric transportation systems. But the critical issue is that there is no clarity of government strategy in place to be able to meet these new electricity demands. Therefore, now is the time to decide on the strategic direction of the future energy sources for our island and to provide clear signals to our electricity utility, Guernsey Electricity, along with investors, homeowners and businesses that are intrinsically involved in the electricity industry such that all islanders can embrace the low carbon future. Pathway D option is the most cost-effective way forward, while at the same time decarbonising our daily activities and providing long-term energy security that is critical for our future, where the island’s exposure to geopolitical risk (the Ukraine war for example) and wholesale fuel cost volatility are reduced significantly and where we are in charge of our own generation sources and future import/export options. This is often called the democratisation of our energy system, putting individuals in charge of their energy future by adopting solar PV systems and battery energy storage systems and having their own home-grown electricity at their fingertips, creating energy independence but still connected to a smart grid network.

The Little Green Energy Company wholeheartedly supports the E&I proposed electricity strategy policy letter. LGE has been working with E&I through the Energy Partnership on the energy policy and now the electricity strategy for almost five years, and now the electricity strategy itself is imminently to be debated upon by the States of Deliberation. There couldn’t be a more important time than now to seriously focus on what is best for our precious island and its energy future after five years of hard work from all involved. The balance of future energy sources proposed and studied by Siemens and supported by the Energy Partnership, who represent all energy providers in the island as part of the strategy work, could not be more appropriate. The concept idea that 100% solar PV deployment across the island will work for Guernsey and maintaining the existing single interconnector is acceptable, or even keeping the old power station going for longer, is simply not practical or feasible. There are a host of technical constraints and scenarios to be considered, for example, short-term solar radiation variations where the effects of cloud transients or jet aircraft vapour trails, can cause serious transient network instability (where there is loss of sunlight for just a few seconds). Or imagine 50mm of snow on everyone’s rooftops and solar PV systems across the island and zero wind for days on end in deep winter, and additionally, if the island's electricity demand, which as predicted in the Siemens technical report, could be circa 150MW in future, then we simply would not be able to cope.

To compound this scenario even further is where there could be loss of both cables to France as well for a period of time. We are ‘the only show in town’ and so GEL needs strategic direction to fully evaluate providing local resilient supplies of electricity from fossil fuel emergency back-up generation in these rare conditions that is fit for purpose for such standby emergency duty. Relying on 40-year-old generation assets for this purpose is unacceptable. Therefore, modern emergency back-up generation systems are needed if the worst case conditions occur. Putting all of these factors into the melting pot brings pathway D to the fore. It provides for decarbonisation while also providing our critical electricity supply security.

The policy letter also provides a future incentive for islanders to invest personally on solar PV systems as buy-back rates are to be reviewed, thus contributing additional renewable energy back into our community electricity grid. The standby tariff is to be removed for larger renewable systems as well, therefore sending the signal to the market to invest in low carbon energy solutions for our homes and businesses. Our island has some of the highest sunshine hours in Great Britain and we should capitalise on this wonderful free asset that falls upon our island every day, but additionally supplemented by a mix of offshore wind energy and greater undersea cable import capability as well. In future, we will see the establishment of larger battery energy storage systems to complement domestic battery energy storage systems that are already being deployed across the island to store local solar energy produced in the hours of daylight, to maximise the value of grid connected renewable generation systems. In the next 20 years, we could see commercially-viable tidal and marine turbine systems being deployed locally as well. The proposed electricity strategy policy letter keeps all these options open and to be integrated into our electricity supply system as new technologies becomes available. All these options could lead us to being a ‘jewel in the crown’ of energy conscious jurisdictions around the world, where people wish to live, work and thrive, in an island where sustainability and the environment comes first, with renewable and low carbon energy systems and electrification of our transportation systems being the norm.

The policy letter sets out the reasons why we need to decide the way forward with pathway D.

The electricity strategy has been a very large piece of work for all concerned and now is the time for political will to proceed with the recommended direction.

I wish to call for political unity and support on the electricity strategy at the important States meeting this week, where the strategy will be debated.

Yes, we have to find ways of funding the transition and working collaboratively with industry, but doing nothing and staying as we are would be more expensive and expose the island to external geopolitical influences. Now is the time to show our resolve and strive forward in becoming a jurisdiction dedicated to decarbonising our day-to-day energy activities, promoting energy independence and to live in an island where our children and their children will look back and say that we did the right thing for our energy and island’s future.

This debate is everything about doing the right thing for our precious island. I sincerely urge the States of Deliberation to vote for the policy letter and the pathway D direction and support the work of E&I in protecting our future local island environment, thus providing clear investment direction for Guernsey Electricity, local energy companies and at the same time giving islanders and the wider business community the clear incentive to join in and support decarbonising our island’s energy and transportation systems and protecting our future island environment.

u Bob Beebe has worked in the electricity industry for the last 47 years both in the UK and in Guernsey. He was former operations director and chief engineer for GEL and also a former director of the Channel Islands Electricity Grid Company. Mr Beebe is CEO of the Little Green Energy Company which provides complete renewable energy solutions for islanders and businesses across the islands.